Ten years ago, director John Singleton took viewers on an uncensored, in-your-face look at young urban life in his directorial debut "Boyz N the Hood." Now, Singleton takes us back to South Central Los Angeles in Columbia Pictures' "Baby Boy," a film that shows viewers how much the inner-city has changed, as well as how much life hasn't.
"Baby Boy" stars R & B singer Tyrese as Jody, a misguided 20-year-old African American who refuses to become a man. He has two kids (by different women), no job and the only woman he can commit to is his mother whom he still lives with. As he sits back and watches his friends mature into adulthood, Jody slowly realizes he has to grow up before he dies a baby boy on the street.
Unlike Singleton's previous projects, "Baby Boy" doesn't come to a complete closure. Rather than delivering a straightforward message like "Boyz in the Hood" or "Higher Learning," "Baby Boy" offers almost no resolution for the many questions that the film presents. This may leave fans of Singleton's a bit unsatisfied, despite the fact that in real life not every obstacle has a simple answer. Never the less, the movie's ambiguity does leave enough holes within the main storyline that it could distract viewers from the overall point of the film.
While "Baby Boy" may have some weak moments within its script, majority of the casting for the film is so perfect that it's still easy to get caught up in the emotion that is radiated onscreen. Newcomer Tyrese is so believable as the streetwise and immature Jody that he'll even have teenage girls forgetting that he's a multi-millionaire. Tyrese's performance isn't the only factor that makes this story real. Although the cast ranges from those who have really lived the stories they are portraying (Taraji P. Henson) to those who have only heard of it second-hand (A.J. Johnson), each character delivers such a powerful performance that the fact they look like models won't take away from the naturalness of the film. The only true miscast within the film is rapper Snoop Dogg. Although he delivers one of the most convincing performances, Snoop Dogg's offscreen persona is strong enough that audiences won't be able to forget who he is. This causes viewers not only to cheer for the antagonist, but also to laugh whenever he appears.
Those who like a little laughter (outside Snoop Dogg) with their heavy dose of reality will be pleased to find "Baby Boy" not completely driven on its emotional core. Singleton works hard at keeping at least a quarter of the movie light-hearted, and an unforgettable performance by Ving Rhames helps him out in his quest. Rhames is hilarious as the reformed gangster dating Jody's mom, but he isn't just in the film for comedic relief. Rhames plays one of the most three-dimensional characters of any Singleton film, providing both insight to the world of crime he left behind as well as the demons within that he still struggles to control. Rhames truly is the boy in Jody's hood, and just like the South Central itself, he has grown up and moved on but can't leave the past behind for long. His story is definitely one audiences will enjoy watching develop throughout the course of the film, which isn't very common for most supporting characters today.
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